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Charley Neal #242 (Baseball Cards 1957 Topps) — is it worth grading?

Is Charley Neal #242 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 1957 Topps · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A PSA 10 Charley Neal #242 sells for $851 against $8.47 raw: a $842 spread, 100× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($262) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.

Raw (NM)
$8.47
PSA 10
$851
PSA 9
$262
Gem premium
100×
As of
Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Charley Neal #242: net result of grading versus selling raw, by outcome and fee tier
If it comes back…Sells forEconomy / bulk (~$25.00)Standard (~$50.00)Express (~$150)
Gem — PSA 10$851+$817+$792+$692
PSA 9$262+$229+$204+$104
PSA 8$67.97+$34.50+$9.50−$90.50

Net = sale price − $8.47 raw value − fee. Fee tiers are illustrative; plug your grader's current price into the calculator below.

Expected value — how often does it need to gem?

Charley Neal #242: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gemsExpected saleExpected net (standard fee)
25%$409+$351
50%$556+$498
75%$704+$645

Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.

Which grader pays the most — and what a 10 takes

All centering standards →
Charley Neal #242: top-grade value by grading company with centering tolerance
Grader10 sells forvs bestFront centering for a 10Back
BGS 10$1,106best55/4570/30
PSA 10$851−$25555/4575/25
CGC 10$511−$59555/4575/25
SGC 10$511−$59555/4575/25

Tolerances are each company's published centering standard for its top grade; surface, corners and edges must also be clean. Centering is the one you can measure yourself before you pay.

Charley Neal #242 graded prices by company and grade
GradePSACGCBGSSGCGraded
10$851$511$1,106$511—
9.5————$288
9————$262
8————$67.97
7————$40.00

Swipe the table for the other grading companies →

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Other 1957 Topps cards worth checking

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Grading Charley Neal #242 — FAQ

Is Charley Neal #242 worth grading?

A PSA 10 Charley Neal #242 sells for $851 against $8.47 raw: a $842 spread, 100× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($262) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.

How much is a PSA 10 Charley Neal #242 worth compared with raw?

A PSA 10 Charley Neal #242 (Baseball Cards 1957 Topps) sells for about $851 versus $8.47 for a raw near-mint copy — a 100× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.

Which grading company is best for Charley Neal #242?

By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $1,106, ahead of PSA 10 at $851. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.

What centering does Charley Neal #242 need for a BGS 10?

BGS publishes 55/45 front and 70/30 back centering as the tolerance for a 10 (Gem Mint). Off-center copies are capped below the top grade regardless of surface — measure yours before paying the fee.

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